Elon Answers: How long do patients remain contagious?

Tuesday

May 5, 2020 at 12:01 AM

Editor’s note: The novel coronavirus, known as COVID-19, has created disruptions in daily life for many people. Schools, restaurants and many organizations have closed or changed the way they do business in recent days, leaving community members concerned and unsure of what to expect. This column is part of an ongoing series by Elon University faculty and health care experts from the local community to address common questions and provide scientific information about the pandemic. Most are not trained medical providers, so readers should talk to their doctors if they have questions about their health.

If I get COVID-19 and then recover, is it still possible for me to infect others with the virus? In other words, would I remain contagious even after I recover from the disease?

You might. People showing symptoms of COVID-19 are clearly contagious. These individuals actively shed virus in their respiratory droplets. Symptoms normally last for eight days, but even after that about half of patients continue to shed virus for up to eight days following the end of symptoms.

If you therefore isolate yourself for eight days following the end of your symptoms, you probably are no longer contagious. Occasionally a cough lingers for several weeks even after the disease ends; if that happens, your self-isolation can likely end eight days after your fever ends and following your doctor’s advice.

Not many detailed scientific studies have been performed yet, so our understanding of COVID-19 is likely to improve. For example, scientists are still working to understand why some patients remain contagious longer than others.

Rainey Parker is an adjunct assistant professor of chemistry at Elon University. Reach him at rparker16@elon.edu.